The London Underground station with the longest escalator is Angel. Its escalators are the longest on the Underground network and in the United Kingdom.
Angel’s unusual escalator arrangement reflects the station’s deep platforms and major rebuilding in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The station originally had a cramped island platform, where northbound and southbound passengers shared a narrow space. The reconstruction created a much wider southbound platform and improved access through the modern ticket hall.
Angel is one of a small number of Underground stations reached only by escalator rather than a conventional lift route. Its escalators have a vertical rise of roughly 27 metres and a length of about 60 metres, making the journey particularly memorable for visitors. The station opened in 1901 on the City & South London Railway, a predecessor of today’s Northern line.
A common mix-up is confusing Angel with Covent Garden, whose lifts and crowded queues are famous. Covent Garden is notable for its deep lift access, but Angel holds the Underground escalator record.